Tuesday, January 22, 2013

More corporate cash, less transparency

Four years ago, President Obama banned corporate and union donations from funding his first Inauguration. Not this time.

This time, the man who railed on how Citizens United would “open the
floodgates for special interests” by allowing unlimited contributions
from corporations and “America’s most powerful interests” ….is accepting unlimited donations to his inaugural committee from corporations. So far 20 corporations and nine unions have dropped cash on the shindig says The Hill.

Not only are the doors wide open, but the curtains are shut — from
transparency, that is. Four years ago, Team Obama listed all its
inaugural donors AND the amount they coughed up in a searchable database.

Four years ago, inaugural contributions were capped at $50,000. This
time? Oh, don’t stop. Please don’t stop. The Presidential Inaugural
Committee was offering packages for between $10,000 and $1 million —
check out the invites here.

So as you read other things in other places about money being mother's milk and all that, just remember that only children suckle from teats. We all need to grow up and get real about what kind of politicians we want.

I would be remiss in not noting that my state Senator, Rodney Ellis, and Rep. Senfronia Thompson in the Texas House have taken the initiative in this regard. Encourage your own representatives at every level -- local, state, and federal -- to follow their lead.